ABSTRACT
Energy and water use in poultry processing D. Luján-Rhenals, University of Arkansas Fayetteville, USA and Universidad de Córdoba, Colombia; R. Morawicki, University of Arkansas Fayetteville, USA; E. J. Van Loo, Ghent University, Belgium; and S. C. Ricke, University of Arkansas Fayetteville, USA
1 Introduction
2 The potential for life cycle assessment (LCA) of poultry processing systems
3 The current status of poultry production and processing
4 Conventional poultry slaughter processing plants
5 The use of energy in poultry processing plants
6 The use of water in poultry plants
7 Non-conventional poultry processing
8 Conclusions and recommendations
9 Where to look for further information
10 References
As the demands for food production increased in the world, it is imperative to balance this with continued improvement of food safety and food security on a global scale, especially in third-world countries. The implementation of these safety and food security systems may require the use of even more energy and resources. In animal production this can be somewhat complicated, with some aspects more straightforward than others. For example, for ruminants grazing is the major activity of land use; hence livestock producers can have a direct impact on reducing the negative effects on the environment (Costa, 2007). However, in some animal industries such as poultry production, which have become more vertically integrated, efforts in one part of the production chain such as changing the size of the bird to be marketed can impact other elements of the production chain including processing in a more complex manner. This dichotomy is difficult to balance, but the first step is to establish a base line of the environmental impacts to initiate the application of effective strategies to minimize those impacts.
